Writing and ArtDraw a rainbow and label each of the colors.Think of a new way to remember the order of the colors. Write a paragraph to describe it.
ScienceFil l a clear plastic bag with water and tape it to a window that gets a lot of sunlight. What do you notice? Share what you see with a partner.
Connections Rainbows
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RainbowsA Reading A–Z Level J Leveled Book
Word Count: 379
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LEVELED BOOK • J
J • M•P
Rainbows
Written by Sean McCol lum
www.readinga-z.com
Rainbows
Written by Sean McCollum
How does a rainbow form?
Focus Question
Photo Credits:Front cover, back cover: © iStock/IpMaesstro; title page: © iStock/AIMSTOCK; page 3: © iStock/3bugsmom; page 4: © iStock/freebil ly; page 5: © iStock/RugliG; page 6: © Stephen Hutton/EyeEm/Getty Images; page 7: © Christina Felschen/Moment/Getty Images; page 8: © AirPano.com/Solent News/REX/Shutterstock; page 9: © Stock Montage/Archive Photos/Getty Images; page 10: © Southern Il l inois University/Science Source/Getty Images; page 12: © iStock/Mr_Khan; page 13: © Anton Jankovoy/Moment/Getty Images; page 14: © Anna Gorin/Moment/Getty Images; page 15: © James Wheeler/123RF
Words to Know
angleappearindigo
magicalreflectsscience
RainbowsLevel J Leveled Book© Learning A–ZWritten by Sean McCollum
All rights reserved.
www.readinga-z.com
CorrelationLEVEL J
J1718
Fountas & PinnellReading Recovery
DRA
3
Table of Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Where and When Rainbows Appear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
How Rainbows Form . . . . . . . . . . . 9
The Colors of the Rainbow . . . . . 12
Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Rainbows • Level J 4
Introduction
When the Sun comes out
after it rains, run outside.
You may see a rainbow in the sky.
A rainbow shines near storm clouds.
5
Rainbows are tricks made by light.
We can see them, but we can’t
touch them or walk around them.
They seem to move away when
we try to get close to them.
Science can explain how rainbows
happen.
Rainbows can be seen in a splash of water. These rainbows usually don’t last long.
Rainbows • Level J 6
Where and When Rainbows Appear
Look around the next time you see
a rainbow.
The Sun will be shining from
behind you.
There will be rain in front of you,
where you’ll see the rainbow.
Rainbows show up in the part of the sky that is across from the Sun.
7
Rainbows need water drops
and sunlight to form.
They can even form under
a bright moon.
These are called moonbows .
Moonbows are less bright and less common than rainbows.
Rainbows • Level J 8
We usually see a rainbow
as a half circle.
It actually forms a full circle.
From the ground, we can only
see the top half.
Cameras were flown high above one of the world’s biggest waterfalls to capture a full-circle rainbow.
9
How Rainbows Form
Years ago, a French scientist
studied rainbows.
He found that to see a rainbow,
you must be in the right spot.
Rainbows in Myths and Tales• Vikings said a rainbow bridge linked their gods to Earth. • In Ireland, people tell fairy tales about gold hidden
at the ends of rainbows. Elves guard these pots of gold. • The Hindu god Indra is shown using a rainbow as an
archer’s bow to shoot lightning arrows.
People study and build on many of this scientist’s ideas to this day.
Rainbows • Level J 10
Knowing how
light moves helps
explain rainbows.
Think of running
on land.
Now think of
trying to run
through water.
You will move
more slowly
through water
because it is
thicker than air.
In the same way, light moves faster
through air than through water.
As the light moves through water,
it slows down and bends.
This pencil seems to bend where it enters the water.
11
Rainbows form when water drops
meet sunlight.
The light bends when it goes
into each drop.
Then it reflects, or bounces,
off the back of each drop.
The light bends again as it leaves
the drop.
This happens in millions of water
drops at once, making the colors
of a rainbow.
raindrop
q Light bends as it enters the drop. The sunlight splits into many colors.
w Light reflects from the back of the drop.
e Light bends again as it leaves the drop.
e
q
w
sunlight
viewer
rainbow
How Light Moves Through a Raindrop
Rainbows • Level J 12
The Colors of the Rainbow
Sunlight is made up of many colors.
Water drops split the sunlight into
different colors.
Splitting light makes a rainbow.
You have to be in the right spot
to see a rainbow.
Each water drop reflects colored
light at a slightly different angle.
viewer
reflected light
sunlight
raindrops
The Recipe for a Rainbow
13
The colors of the rainbow always
appear in the same order.
The name ROY G. BIV can help you
remember the seven main colors.
They are red, orange, yellow,
green, blue, indigo, and violet.
Sometimes a rainbow’s colors blend together. All seven colors can be seen clearly in bright rainbows.
violetindigo
greenyellow
orangered
Make Your Own Rainbow1. Fill a clear glass about three-quarters full of water.
2. Place the glass where sunlight can pass through it.
3. Hold a white piece of paper. Let the light shine through the water onto the paper. Move the paper around until you find a rainbow.
4. Use colored pencils to mark the different colors on the paper. How many can you see? What order are they in?
blue
Rainbows • Level J 14
Conclusion
Rain stops and the Sun comes out.
A beautiful rainbow sweeps across
the sky.
Most people find it hard not to stop
and stare when a rainbow appears.
People look at a rainbow at the bottom of a waterfall.
15
Science explains how rainbows
form.
Stil l , a rainbow is always a magical
sight to see.
Some people are lucky enough to see a double rainbow.
Rainbows • Level J 16
Glossaryangle (n.) the position from which
something is viewed; the
direction from which
something is approached
(p. 12)
appear (v.) to come into view (p. 13)
indigo (n.) the color of light between
blue and violet (p. 13)
magical beyond the usual, as
(adj.) if caused by magic (p. 15)
reflects (v.) sends light, sound, or
heat back toward where
it came from (p. 11)
science (n.) the study of the physical
and natural world (p. 5)